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The Army is reviewing the ban on beards amid fears the rule is putting off a younger generation of potential recruits.

Whilst some facial hair is allowed on the grounds of religion or for medical reasons, the army has routinely not permitted the wearing of beards, except for certain ceremonial or traditional posts.

The move has been revealed in a letter to the service magazine Soldier. Captain Dave Somerville, an Officer in the Royal Engineers, warned that young fashion-conscious men might be put off joining.

“We are an organisation that needs to recruit and putting up artificial barriers because of an inability to change isn’t what we are about,” he said.

“While attending a recent recruiting event I couldn’t help but notice that a large percentage of the potential soldiers were sporting facial hair. It made me wonder how many of them were put off joining up because they can’t have a beard.”

Coldstream Guards soldier Charanpreet Singh Lall wearing a beard and turban during a rehearsal for Trooping the Colour, June 9, 2018.Credit:
Stefan Rousseau/PA

Capt Somerville complained that in his 38 years of service he did not understand why the regulations still applied. He suggested the argument that the seal between a respirator and a soldiers skin could be compromised by hair growth, no longer stood up as the Army became increasingly diversified.

“I have heard the respirator excuse trotted out many times, but frankly that really doesn’t make sense,” he said.

“Rightly we allow certain individuals to have beards for religious reasons and they are as likely to require the use of that piece of kit as any of us.

"The most annoying reason though is tradition, just like the one where we wore red tunics and advanced slowly towards the enemy.”

In response Lt Col Rachel Emmerson, in the Employment Branch of Army Manning, accepted beards would be seen more often as more members of religious minorities joined the armed forces.

“As the Service becomes more diverse and we update policy to support represented faiths, we expect the sight of serving officers and soldiers with beards to become more familiar,’ she replied.

“We must also ensure the army attracts as many potential applicants as possible, while maintaining the right appearance policies to protect the culture and ethos from which we derive our operational effectiveness.

"As such we routinely review such regulations including those relating to facial hair.”

Lt Col Emmerson reiterated the Army would not jeopardise operational effectiveness for religious purposes or for the sake of recruits’ fashion choices. “Facial hair must be modified if required to ensure protective equipment does its job,” she said.

Beards have become more popular with young people in recent years. A YouGov survey last year showed support for facial hair had increased by nearly 14 per cent over the five years to 2016. Among 18 to 39 year-olds just over 60 per cent said they had some form of facial hair.

Beards were growing on women too. In the survey, over half said they preferred a man with facial hair, up from 34 per cent in 2011.

The review comes as an army unit in Germany trials a new policy of providing late-night healthy suppers to encourage soldiers away from local takeaways. The Sennelager-based Queen's Royal Hussars will trade fried food for freshly cooked egg fu yung and spinach and avocado omelettes.

Private Abi Robertson, the Regimental Chef, said: "It's all about healthy eating. We look to steam food and not fry it... I can show people what I am capable of, rather than just preparing the day-to-day lunches and breakfasts".